Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-03-05

and impartinlity was offered by Mr..
harris. and unanimously adopted.
At this point the hands on the clock
dial fingered mysteriously about quar-
ter before -. There was a subsistence
OF business and o general hull in the
Senate chamber, II being understood
| that the President OF the United States
was on his way to the Capitol.
THE PRESIDENT.
One OF his secretaries, o. L. Pruden,
appeared at the door and announced
that the President had approved and
signed several certain bills. The Presi-
| dent himself had about that time reach
ed his room in the Capitol Senator
Sherman with Senator Salisbury report
ed that the committee to wait upon the
PRESIDENT Of the United States and in.
quire if he had any further communi-
cation to Congress had performed that
duty and had been assured by the Presi.
dent that he had no further communi-
cation to make. The presiding officer
then announced that the constitutional
period of the Forty-ninth Congress
having been completed the Senate stood
adjourned without day. 1.-THE dial Of
the Senate clock showed it to lack five
minutes of the hour of noon, but the
actual time was four minutes past. Mr..
Hale had not been able within the
seventeen minutes to which he was
limited to have prepared and to present
the conferrees' report on the general de-
ficiency appropriation bill, and conse-
quently that bill has failed to become
law.
WASHINGTON, March 4.-The Senate
has confirmed denomination of Captain
A. W. Greedy to be chief signal officer,
with the rank OF brigadier-general and
James NJ. Trotter to be Recorder Of
Deeds for the District of Columbia.
On the confirmation of Mr.. Trotter the
vote stood 80 to IL. OF the minority
three only-Ingalls, Sabin, and Pal
mer-are Republicans.
The deficiency bill failed for want
OF time to engross it ; the Notifications
bill was abandoned in conference the
District of Columbia appropriation bill
was signed by the President; the river
and-harbor bill failed to receive the
Presidents signature. 1t reached him
several days ago, but was "pocket-
vetoed"
The Work Done-Immense Volume
of Liquidation.
[By telegraph 10 the Dispstch-l
WASHINGTON, March 4.-Congress,
which ended its existence at noon to-
day, has afforded striking illustration
of the constant increase in volume OF
Legislation demanding the attention OF
Congress, which has been going on for
the last three or more congresses. More
bills were introduced in both houses,
more committee reports made, more bills
passed, more became laws, and more
were vetoed than ever before. Most of
these measures were Of comparative
unimportance, such as bills granting
private pensions and special relief,
authorizing the erection of bridges,
granting the right of way, and the like.
But many, not only Of the bills and re-
ports presented, but Of the laws en-
acted, were OF general interest and i'm
rortance. A number OF bills enacted
| into laws were old and familiar claim
ants for Legislative favor. In this
category belong the presidential-suc-
cession bill, electoral-count bill. the
interstate commerce bill, and the bill
for the relief of Fitz. John Porter.
The Forty ninth Congress commenced
its session on December 4, 1885, and
was in session until August 9Th, when
it adjourned until December 9th and
continued in session until its close to-
day, covering total period OF ten
months and twenty-six days. OF this
time the Senate was in session 224 days
and the House 251 days. There were
introduced in the House during this
time II, 258 bills and 263 joint resolu-
tons, on which over 5000 reports were
made, being several thousand more
bills and over thousand more reports
than were made in the Forty-eighth
Congress, which had in its turn beaten
the record. In the Senate there were
introduced 1857 bills and 118 joint
resolutions, on which 1888 written re
ports were made, being upwards of 500
more bills and over 400 more reports
than in the record-breaking Forty
eighth Congress.
The total number of laws enacted
was approximately 1881, of which
!, 053 originated in the House and 1873
| in the Senate. Two hundred and sixty
four OF these became laws by expira-
| ton OF the constitutional ten-days'
limitation so bills failed to become
laws owing to the adjournment of Con-
| gress-9 of them at the close OF the
first session. There were 132 bills
vetoed by the President, or q more
instances of the exercise of Presiden-
tial prerogatiye of the veto than had
occurred from the foundation of the
Government down to the beginning Of
this Congress. OF the vetoed bills SO
originated in the House and SO in the
Senate. But one private bill-that
| granting pension to Joseph ROmiser-
and one public bill-that providing for
the erection of Government building
at Dayton, O.-succeeded in passing
both Houses over the Presidents veto,
although several others obtained the re-
quisite two-thirds vote in the Senate
only to fail in the House.
Two features OF the closing hours OF
the Forty ninth Congress are conspicu-
ously noteworthy. While more than the
usual degree OF asperity was developed
by the clash of opposing interests during
the protracted and wearying sessions of
the past few days, the general deport-
ment of the members of both houses
and of the throngs which came to wit
ness the proceedings was never more
exemplary or orderly. On the other
hand, never since Congress had an
existence has there been such I'M
certainty, such hurly-burly, such
general disregard of parliamentary
safeguards in the transaction of i'm
portant business as have characterized
the proceedings of yesterday, last night,
and to-day. In the nature of things
the confusion has been more apparent
in and about the Senate than at the
other end of the Capitol, for it was the
Senate which was called upon to at
tempt the performance of a half
sessions work within the limits
of week. Some things occurred
during the last hours which,
from, narliamentarv nOint of